Home For Christmas
by Romaqueen3
Summary: The holidays aren't the only things approaching. Lizzie and Gordo will find their love tested. Will they need all the miracles that the season brings?
1. Big News

I know it seems a bit early for Christmas, but this is one of those stories that are bursting to be written. 

Let me know if you like what you're reading!

* * *

Her large blue eyes danced over the twinkling skyline. Now that autumn had fallen, New York City sparkled with the crisp air and the gleaming lights form each window. She caught her reflection and wondered briefly if she was just imagining that everything was more beautiful. 

With a contented sigh, she glanced around the elegant apartment. The magnificent view overlooked the city and onto the harbor. She made her way across the plush carpet and sat down on sofa.

A pair of strong hands gently cupped her shoulders then he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against her cheek. Lizzie smiled as she inhaled the warm scent of his cologne that wafted towards her nose.

She slid her hand onto his. "How'd it go?"

He gently traced his finger up the side of her face. "Good."

A silence fell over them as she gently squeezed his hand, thinking of how wonderful life was. She took a deep breath as she realized he wasn't talking very much at all. "David?"

"Lizzie," he breathed softly, leaning over her shoulder from his place behind the couch. "Are you happy?"

Lizzie leaned back looked up at him through her thick lashes. "Of course I am." She paused as her corners of her mouth curled into a smile that she quickly hid. "I'm here with you."

David nodded and slowly slipped his hand out of hers. She could hear the gentle thud of his shoes as he walked around the couch and sat down next to her. He slowly took a deep breath and exhaled.

Lizzie stared at him, suddenly her heart thumping in her chest. She furrowed her eyebrows and scooted towards the edge of the couch. It was beginning to feel as if someone had locked their hand around her heart. This was incredibly unusual, especially for David. He always seemed so confident and self assured. "Is everything all right?"

"What do you think of going home?"

Lizzie let out a soft chuckle as she felt the anxiety wash away. "David," she smiled grabbing his strong hand as she brushed a raven curl away from his eyes. "We are home."

His deep blue eyes stared into hers. Lizzie's hazel eyes danced over the mop of curls that he'd begun to wear just a little bit shorter to keep it out of his eyes. She smiled and gently placed her hand on the side of his face. "What's gotten into you?"

He turned his face towards her palm and kissed it softly. "I mean _home. _Hillridge."

Lizzie's eyes grew wide as she threw her arms around his neck. "That's great! But...why?"

David gently bent her thin fingers as he brought them to his lips and kissed it, his eyes lingered on the gold band around her ring finger. "Because, Hillridge is where we grew up. And I think its time to go back."

Lizzie jumped up and flung her arms around his neck. Just when things seemed as though they couldn't get better...


	2. Packing the Old Life

Welcome back! Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, and for the corrections. Like in Silent Night, a few things are different on the show just to make it a bit easier, like in this chapter, Hillridge is northern California. 

Well, on with the story! Please read and review!

* * *

"Rocking around the Christmas tree," Lizzie sang merrily as she folded another shirt she'd forgotten David owned and laid it inside a box. She felt a joyful tug at her heart as her mind danced over the idea of returning home. 

Granted, New York had been a dream come true. The penthouse apartment she shared with David was spacious, and the beautiful view that overlooked the city had been the prelude to many romantic nights. David was able to follow his dreams. New York City was always in search of directors. Though he wasn't directing on film, he'd found and incredible niche for directing Broadway plays.

Her fingers pushed her silky blonde locks away from her face as Lizzie let out a sigh and lowered herself onto a chair.

She felt a slight snicker creep up her throat at the fact that she was already tired and had hardly done anything at all. She'd decided to start in the bedroom because once their clothes and things were packed up, it would push them harder to continue packing until they were ready to move back to Hillridge.

Hillridge. Their hometown. The last place she'd seen everyone almost three and a half years ago.

It'd been a beautiful early spring day. Never in her life had she worn anything as beautiful as her wedding dress. Each bead shimmered in the spring light. Her father had given her away, her mother cried, and her best friend Miranda had stood right behind her.

After the ceremony, they'd danced until the early hours of the next morning, then caught a flight to New York City, and began a different life.

"Hey, honey," the smooth voice that still managed to send chills down her spine called.

Lizzie looked over her shoulder and smiled as she saw him walk into the room. He was a few inches taller than she was, and was the perfect size to wrap his arms around her and not seem to overpower her.

"How's packing?"

"You've got so many clothes you don't wear any more. Especially some that are particularly ugly," she stated, pointing a recently manicured finger towards the pile of clothes.

"You've known me for how long? You were already aware of my taste in ugly clothes."

"I know, some habits are just so hard to break."

He smiled at her and looked at the boxed. "I talked to the movers today. Everything needs to be packed up by Thursday night, they'll bring the truck Friday morning, and load it. Our flight will leave about two that afternoon. We'll get to California before the movers, but without as long as a wait. I figured we could spend the extra time in New York and get lunch."

"I like the sound of that," Lizzie nodded. "But are you sure we shouldn't drive behind the movers?"

"In what a rental car?" David chuckled. "That's one of the things we're going to do once we get to Hillridge. Buy a car."

Lizzie laughed softly, but the idea of never having to ride in a taxi again wasn't exactly the most depressing news she'd heard.

David gently took the pile of clothes away from her and held her hands. He reached up and his fingers grazed her cheek as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Lizzie smiled as she tilted her head. A question had been gnawing at her since he'd told her the news a week ago. The process had been incredibly speedy. He told her, they'd begun to look for an apartment in Hillridge, and she'd begun to pack up clothes to keep the moving process from slowing down. In her mind, she assumed if their clothes were completely packed, it would encourage them to not stall them moving. She glanced into his eyes and took a deep breath. "When we go back, what are you going to be doing?"

She knew how the question sounded, but since David had been the main source of income. She'd been able to keep small part time jobs to fill up time, but she'd never found something she was happy with.

"Well," he sighed softly. "I'm going to be the executive producer on a play. I'll have a corespondent here who will keep me informed of stuff in Hillridge."

"Corespondent?" Lizzie smiled. It sounded almost as though he were going to have some kind of spy.

"I love you, Lizzie, and I want us to be happy. And I think going back to Hillridge is something that we both want."

She leaned over and pressed her lips against his. A surge of passion swelling through her. She knew there was a reason she married this man. She slipped her arms around his neck as she leaned closer. His hand wrapped around her waist pulling her to him. A moan escaped Lizzie's lips as everything except her husband seemed to fade away.

* * *

"All passengers please return your seats to an upright position and lock your trays. We will be landing in Sacramento, California in approximately fifteen minutes." 

Lizzie smiled as she looked out the window. Fifteen minutes, then to the rental car place, and then the three hour drive north and she would be home. Home in Hillridge.


	3. The Movers and Roses

It's really starting to seem like a good time for a Christmas story. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, and curl up, because this one is gonna be a good one.

Let me know what you think. Read and review! :)

* * *

Her slender fingers swiped the slice of banana across the top layer of peanut butter. She popped it into her mouth as she surveyed the paper bag standing on the counter, then over to the bag on its. She contemplated opening the box of chocolate chip cookies, but decided against it as she reached for another piece of banana.

"Don't you think they should be here by now?" she asked.

David swiped a finger inside the peanut butter jar and put his finger into his mouth. "Driving across country, I'd be surprised if they actually made it on time anyway."

Chewing the mush in her mouth, Lizzie licked her peachy lips and picked up his hand. "Let's look around."

A deep chuckle rippled from David's throat. "We've already walked around this empty apartment three times." One looked at Lizzie's wide eyes made him smile as he shook his head. "All right, lead the way."

She grinned and started at the doorway that led into the apartment. From there, they moved onto the living room. Here, they had two choices, they could either move onto the kitchen, or to the small hallway. Lizzie chose the hallway. Directly across from the living room was another room they'd decided would be David's work room. The next room over would be a spare bedroom. Across from the spare bedroom was the bathroom, and the final room on the end was the master bedroom. A quick stroll inside each room led Lizzie with David's hand tightly clasped within her own back to the kitchen. The kitchen was lined with counters, but it was still small. A counter was cut into the wall that divided the kitchen and living room, and the kitchen and the small dining space. Lizzie had decided that she liked the kitchen. Though small, it seemed larger because of the cut away walls.

Tossing her golden hair over her shoulders, Lizzie pulled herself up onto the nearest counter. Finally, she was beginning to feel at home. Now the new apartment wasn't anything near what they had in New York. This one was much smaller, but it wasn't permanent. Only until they could find a house.

Shopping for an apartment over the internet seemed less likely to be a risk factor than shopping for a house. With the apartment, they'd looked for a place where they could pay the deposit and the first month. That way, they would be able to actually look inside the houses and take real tours instead of trusting internet pictures.

David strolled up to her, standing between her legs as he leaned forward against the counter. His fingers traced up her thighs and he lightly pressed his lips into hers.

Lizzie inhaled deeply, slipping her arms around his neck, inhaling the sweet sent of him, a sweet mix of a coconut body wash mixed with a light spray of cologne. A wonderfully warm feeling spread through her body. This was right. This was how it was supposed it to be. Every sense within her body tingled. She captured his lips with hers, his fingers traipsed up her back.

"Maybe we don't need the furniture," he chuckled, his hand cradling her neck.

The doorbell broke the moment and David's head snapped towards the door. "What?"

With what could only be called a high pitch squeal, Lizzie leapt off the counter. The soles of her sneakers slid across the floor as she rushed towards the door. Her fingers tightened around the knob.

"Lizzie!"

"Miranda!"

The two friends wrapped their arms around the pulled back suddenly.

"Look at you!" Lizzie exclaimed, her hand reaching up to pat the black locks upon Miranda's head. Her hair was shorter that Lizzie could ever remember seeing it, but still the looked worked incredibly well, cut just past her ears all around her head then flipped out on the ends.

"Look at you! All New York City glamorous, even in jeans and a sweater..." Miranda smiled.

Lizzie laughed softly as she looked down at the powder-blue sweater, then shook her head. "Hardly."

"Miranda," David called as he walked into the empty living room.

Her pretty almond eyes lit up as she threw her arms out. "I love how you've decorated!" she trilled. David laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her off the ground and swung her in a circle.

"How have you been?" David asked, putting her back on the ground.

Miranda smiled as she readjusted her shirt. "It's been going good. But what about you two?"

Lizzie smiled as David wrapped a hand around her waist and gently kissed the side of her face. "Things are good," she nodded. "Really good." She tilted her head back and smiled at her husband.

He released her waist and stepped back, his hands in the air. "All right, all right, I get it, I get it. You two want to girl talk." He lightly kissed Lizzie's cheek and waved to Miranda. "I'll see you in a bit."

Lizzie crossed her legs as she watched him walk out, a rush of love running over her for that man. Every time he was capable of saying just what she needed to hear, and he had a way of always knowing exactly what she wanted without she ever had to say.

"I'm so glad everything is going so good."

Lizzie's attention snapped back to the situation in the new empty living room with her best friend sitting across from her. Her eyes examined her friend's face. The expression was still as friendly and as caring as ever. "Are you thirsty?"

Miranda shook her head. "How was New York? Why are you back? Not that I'm not glad to have you back, but I thought you both loved New York."

"New York is great. But it's not Hillridge." She paused, and glanced around the place. "And he can still work here, and be involved in New York."

Lizzie had never really realized how much she'd actually missed Miranda. It'd been so much simpler when she in New York. She'd busy herself with different tasks, small jobs, or focus her efforts on becoming the perfect housewife. Sitting and talking with Miranda sharply reminded her exactly what she'd really missed. There had been the late night phone calls, the incredible phone bills, but just laughing away the time with Miranda was something she was not going to give up any time soon. Impulsively, she grabbed her friend and gave her a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Miranda laughed when there was a loud knocking on the door.

Peering outside the window, Lizzie let out an excited squeak. "Furniture is here!"

Lizzie was hardly able to contain her excitement as she directed the group of five movers to different rooms with the selected items that had made the move. Miranda oohed and ahhed over some of the items and peered excitedly at the boxes. Lizzie had tried to make herself feel more useful by helping with some of the boxes, but had been chased away by the movers.

With the largest pieces inside, three continued to make trips to the truck and bring in boxes, while the other two situated the furniture where Lizzie though she'd like it best. She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed her purse. David had paid them in New York, but she still reached inside her purse and handed several bills to the man who'd given almost as many orders as she had. He protested at first, but as the final boxes were brought inside and she'd continued to follow him, he relented when she put on a hurt look. She cheerfully waved goodbye and turned to face the stack of boxes.

"Did you have to pout?" Miranda teased.

"They worked hard and they deserved it," she stated.

"Was that the movers?" David's voice called.

Lizzie turned around and grinned when she saw the half dozen roses in his hand.

He kissed her cheek softly. Her gave her the roses but selected a single stem and presented it to Miranda.

She laughed and took it, pressing the red petals to her nose. "Lovely, Mr. Gordon."

Lizzie turned her lips up expectantly for a kiss.

Miranda uttered a moan and shook her head. "I'll let you guys settle in. Give me a call tomorrow."

Lizzie turned towards the mountain of boxes and smiled at her husband. "I tried to tell them where each box went, but the hallways were so narrow, I just told them to pile them in the living room."

David nodded, his eyes skimming different labels.

"I think most of the computer stuff made it into your office," Lizzie offered. She looked at his face and shook her head. "Go ahead and set up. I'll start with things in the bedroom."

A gleeful grin crossed his face as he kissed her cheek and darted into the room.

Lizzie shook her head, grabbed the vase of her new roses and headed into the living room. She placed them atop the dresser and started opening boxes of clothes.

She'd worked steadily for an hour when the familiar feeling of needing a rest took over. She shifted the clothes back onto to the box and laid back on the bed.

Slowly she let out a long breath of air as she closed her eyes. Her fingers gently skimmed her stomach when a weird thought suddenly stood out in her mind. The movers had been here for almost two and a half hours, where in the world had David been that whole time?


	4. Duckies

You guys are so awesome. I love hearing the different opinions and ideas. If anyone has any suggestions, it's always fun to read those. Tell me what you like and what you don't. It's the best way to make the story better for everyone!

Now that the majority of the background information is taken care of, the major plot work will commence.

Please read and review!

* * *

Lizzie smiled as she tucked her hands inside her leather jacket. Miranda hoisted the small baby boy up higher onto her hip. The boy's cheeks were rosy from the autumn wind, hair was dark like his mom's, his wide brown eyes watched Lizzie with curious interest.

Lizzie tilted her head and let out a soft sigh. "I'm really sorry I didn't make it for when he was born."

Miranda let out a soft laugh, but Lizzie knew it wasn't a laugh saying that all was forgiven, underneath it all was the slight sting of being hurt. "It's all right. You can't control the weather, and a storm grounding planes is hardly reason for you to be apologizing. Besides, you and Gordo sent a wonderful gift."

_You mean I did_, Lizzie wanted to correct her. But she also couldn't ignore the sudden pang of emotion at hearing the familiar nickname for her husband. A nickname she'd given him when they were younger. A nickname she'd dropped after arrival in New York. Around the many circles they traveled in, Gordo just wasn't quite a name that flew. It lacked the sophistication that was demanded among the New York elite that they'd become. She'd stopped calling him it at premiers, then at after parties, then at small gatherings, and finally at home. The nickname she'd once thought suit him better than his own name had disappeared.

She pushed all the unpleasant thoughts out of her head as she reached her arms out for the tiny boy. "Hi there handsome," she cooed as Devon leaned over into her arms.

Miranda gently tugged his jacket down and shifted the weight of the diaper bag into the stroller instead of onto the handle.

Lizzie's eyes drifted over the store names until she saw a the name of a department store. "Let's go in here."

They browsed through the isles, Devon positioned firmly on Lizzie's hip as her hand skimmed the many fabrics. "Are you dressing him up for Halloween?"

Miranda smiled and nodded as her hand fondly caressed her son's head. "Yup, him gonna be mommy's little oinker, huh?"

Lizzie giggled as Miranda blew a raspberry on his cheek, then turned her attention towards a rack of autumn hued shirts. Her hand clutched around round as she smiled at Lizzie. "Could you watch him a minute while I try this on?"

Her free arm tickled Devon's belly as she laughed and nodded. "We'll look around here until Mommy's done, huh bud?"

Devon made a small gurgle and Lizzie grinned taking that for an agreement. Miranda disappeared into the dressing room, and Lizzie placed her hand on the bar of the stroller. "All right, babe, time for you to relax, and we'll go browse."

She lowered him down into the seat and slid the buckle into placed around his round little waist. "How's that? Comfy?"

Devon made a small squeal in reply as his fingers clutched a stuffed yellow toy Lizzie had tossed into his lap.

She pushed the stroller past racks of women's clothes. Devon suddenly let out a squeal and she hurried around the front of the stroller.

"What's wrong, baby?" She asked, her heart thumping in her chest.

Devon leaned to the opposite side of the stroller, trying to see around her. Taking the hint, Lizzie turned around also and saw a large bin of yellow stuffed ducks. She let out a small laugh of relief as she pushed the stroller towards the toys.

Her slender fingers selected a particularly soft looking duck and she knelt down. Devon's wide brown eyes searched the new object with some interest. Lizzie blew air past her lips as she tickled the duck up his arm, and Devon quickly realized that she wanted him to accept the duck. He wrapped his arms around it and grinned up at her as she stood up. She grinned when she realized that two tiny teeth dotted the bottom of his gums.

With Devon now content, Lizzie stood back up. Her attention was caught by a soft looking sleeper. The wheels of the stroller slid across the floor as she came closer and picked it up. It was tiny, probably for a newborn, but so soft. She could imagine how a baby would feel, wrapped in this sleeper, cradled in her arms. A soft smile tugged the corners of her lips.

"So, when can we expect one from you?" Miranda called, walking back over to them, the sweater was obviously a keeper as it was still draped around her arm.

Devon suddenly let out a loud yell as his small fist waved the duck.

Miranda turned her attention to her son as she worked quickly to retrieve his bottle form the diaper bag.

The faintest hint of a sparkled shined in Lizzie's eyes as she returned the sleeper to the rack. She turned away from it with a smile as she followed Miranda's called as they moved on to the next store.


	5. Unexpected Plans

Welcome back, thanks for the reviews! Isn't it great? Christmas is coming fast, just have to get through Thanksgiving first! Well, enough of my babbling, on with the story!

Please read and review!

* * *

Lizzie tugged her favorite pair of jeans from the hanger. Tossing them over her shoulder, she selected a red, flare sleeved shirt then carried her selections to the mirror. She liked the change, instead of the black dress pants she'd worn. Now, the outfit looked nice, but still casual.

"What are you doing, honey?" David asked as he came into the bedroom.

Lizzie looked at his reflection in the mirror then nodded towards the clothes she was wearing, blue flannel pajamas. "I can't really wear this out tonight."'

He walked over and slid his arms around her waist. "I think you look great."

Lizzie grinned and shook her head. "We've already discussed your bad taste in clothes."

He made a face as he reached past her and grabbed a blue shirt.

Lizzie cocked her head to the side as she watched him slip the shirt over his arms then rotate his shoulders so it sat properly. He watched his own fingers as he pulled the shirt together and worked the tiny buttons into the holes.

Lizzie's fingers danced over his collection of ties until she found a dark blue one that would offset the shirt. Her bare feet padded across the floor, then she reached up and draped it around his neck.

"I thought moving to Hillridge would keep you home more," she said, not looking up at him.

David tilted his head back as she adjusted the tie. "I still have meetings, there're talk of trying to get the show to the West Coast, so I'm trying to see what connections I can make."

Lizzie tried to hide her disappointment as she slid her hands over his chest. She looked up at him and nodded. She bit her bottom lip to prevent the large sigh from sliding past her lips. They'd been in Hillridge a total of two weeks and had yet to go see her parents together. She'd stopped by and seen her mom, but they'd talked about having a family dinner, inviting Matt and his latest fling. Since she'd hadn't seen anybody in a long time, she'd been looking forward to it, but the first week and a half was occupied with settling in and unpacking. Now, he was rushing off to meetings every day.

"Hey," his whispered softly, his finger gently turned her head up to look at her. His blue eyes searched her face. "What's wrong?"

Lizzie dropped her eyes to the floor to the left of then and leaned her head away from his hand. "I just want us to go see Mom and Dad, and you haven't even stopped by to see your parents yet. Your mom wants to see you."

David ran a hand through his curly hair as he leaned down and light kissed her lips. "Once things settle down a bit honey. Our parents understand that we just got here and we have to settle in. But I promise, when I get home, we'll decide when to go see them."

Lizzie nodded as he grabbed his jacket. She followed him to the door to lock it behind him. With another kiss on her cheek, he was out the door.

Lizzie reached for the chain lock when the door suddenly flung open again, she hardly had time to jump out of the way.

"Lizzie, I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, sitting his briefcase down the floor. Her pulled her into his arms, and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Are you all right?"

She smiled, enjoying the feel of his arms around her and his concern. "I'm fine," she assured him.

"I completely forgot to tell you about this, but my contact in New York is in town for a couple of days. And I said that we could have dinner here tonight about six thirty, is that okay?"

Lizzie stared at her husband. He'd invited someone over tonight, and in less than seven hours, she would have to have a wonderful dinner prepared to impress. "Yeah, that's good."

He kissed the top of her head again. "I know how much you hate to cook, so why don't you just order something in," he suggested. Even though it was his suggestion, she knew immediately from his tone that he wanted her to cook.

She plastered a smile on her face and nodded. "You'll have a feast tonight."


	6. Who's What?

Winter blaze, you've been a wonderful reviewer! Thanks for all the encouragement. I really hope you like this chapter!

Thanks to everyone else who's been reading! Review, it's good, it lets me know where the interest level is!

Enjoy!

* * *

Lizzie staggered into the kitchen, and plunked the two large brown paper bags onto the table. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips at being freed from the weight. Her relief soon vanished as the bag just out of reach toppled over, spilling it's contents onto the counter.

Lizzie let out a groan. Not only did she not want to cook this dinner, now the ingredients of this dinner were attempting to attack her.

She turned to the cabinets and began to select then pots and pans she would need. The pots clinked as they hit the white Formica counters. Her eyes raked over the items littering the space, finally landing on the box.

She wasn't sure why she bought it, she was already sure of the result. But, somehow, she wanted a more finite answer. So, it'd gone into her cart then to the bottom of the bag. She grabbed the bag of vegetables then her slender finger slid around the faucet. She let the water run over the food and her fingers as she tried to recall everything she would need to do for tonight's dinner.

David had said he would be home with Aaron between six and six thirty. A quick glance at the clock told her she had a little over three hours to get everything ready.

Clearing her mind, Lizzie grabbed the white apron that hung in the pantry. She slid it carefully over her hair, then tied it around her waist. She rolled her pale blue sleeves above her elbows and flicked on a faucet, filling a pot with water then set it to boil. Mentally checking off that task, then she lugged the wooden cutting board from its nestled spot between the microwave and cabinet.

She was suddenly struck with how white the kitchen looked besides the black of the appliances, and silver of the stove and sink. Maybe if she could hang up some pictures it would liven it up a bit.

With this thought in mind, she turned back to the grocery bags and gently pulled out the bouquet of flowers. The room almost instantly seemed to brighten up as she riffled through shelves to find a vase. Humming gently to herself she finally found one, filled it with water and slid the flowers inside.

The vegetables were quickly finished and added to the water to cook. The she slid the chicken from its packages and onto the prepared pans. She double checked the temperature of the oven before sliding the poultry inside.

She turned to the sink to wash her hands. Her eyes landed on that long, narrow box she'd managed to avoid looking at. Her eyes slowly looked up at the clock. She still had an hour until six; that could be enough time...

She placed it back down on the counter. Her hand locked around the vase of flowers which she took to the table.

She walked back into the kitchen to get plates, but there way the box. It lay on the counter, like a magnet, drawing her attention to it, almost challenging her to turn away from it once more.

Lizzie blew air past her lips as she finally picked up the box. She tapped it against her open palm as she looked at the clock.

With a moan of aggravation at her own impatience, she squeezed her fist around it and disappeared into the bathroom.

When she emerged several minutes later, Lizzie firmly shut the door behind her. Once dinner was ready, she could go back. When it was time to change clothes, she could see then.

She selected the best set of plates and silverware then perfectly set each place. She meticulously made sure each place was set to perfection, that each glass shined and each fork was in its place.

Finally satisfied with her work, she removed the cooked meal from the stove and hurried into the bedroom to change.

She selected a pair of black pants, looser at the waist than her favorite pair of jeans. That was the last time she was going to let David do laundry. She wasn't sure how he'd shrunk the jeans, but she was sure he was responsible. She paired it with a red button up shirt then headed towards the bathroom.

She paused outside the door, her hand resting gently upon the knob. She hesitated, took a deep breath and went inside.

She could hear keys in the front door, and quickly swept the small tube off the sink and into the trash. She hastily covered it with excess toilet paper and glanced into the mirror.

A grin was tugging at her lips, she couldn't stop it. With a deep breath, she washed her hands and doubled check the wastebasket. The small white tube wasn't showing, neither was the box. Drying her hands on the towel she walked into the living room just as David managed to get the door open.

Lizzie's smile seemed to get stuck on her face, but this was not the secret smile of joy she'd just had, this was a smile that showed she was trying to remind herself to be nice. Standing behind her husband was a beautiful woman.

"Honey," he greeted, holding open the door. "This is my assistant Erin."1


	7. LeslieLibby

The drama has hardly begun.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad so many people are interested!

Please read and review, I'll give you a cookie!

* * *

Lizzie turned her surprised smile into one of welcome as leaned up and lightly kissed her husband's cheek. She then turned to Erin who smiled and stretched out her hand.

"It's so lovely to meet you Leslie. David's told me all about you."

"It's Lizzie," she corrected, trying desperately not to wince at the horrible butchering of her name.

"Right, sorry," she smiled gently shaking her head.

"It smells delicious, what did you make?" David asked.

Lizzie smiled grateful the horrible introductions were over. She led the way into the dining room, explaining what she'd made.

"This is such a quaint little place," Erin stated.

Lizzie removed the cover from the pans and slowly raised her eyes until she could just see Erin gaze around the apartment.

"It's so different from the place you had in New York."

The lid suddenly clattered loudly to the table as Lizzie's fingers seemed to lose function.

"Are you all right?" David asked.

Lizzie forced a tight smile to stretch across her lips. "I'm fine, the towel must have slipped."

She hurried into the kitchen with the removed lids. She placed then to the side and laid her hands on the counter and willed herself to take deep breaths. She certainly could not remember anyone who even remotely fit Erin's description ever having been inside their New York apartment. Her hand gently brushed her forehead as she reminded herself that she was acting foolish. It was an off handed comment. Very few New York apartments looked like this. She smiled as she shook her head. What had she been getting so worked up about?

So what if his new assistant was beautiful, leggy, and looked as if she stepped out of a fashion magazine? She, Lizzie Gordon was his wife. His _wife_. And just because he failed to mention a very important factor about his contact didn't mean it was anything to make a fuss about.

Smiling at her own realization, Lizzie stood and walked back into the dining room.

David caught her eye as she slid into her seat at the opposite end of the table, Erin was seated in between them. Over the bouquet of flowers, David's blue eyes peered intently at her until she finally gave in and broke the stare reaching for the bowl of mashed potatoes. "Help yourself," she smiled.

Lizzie only poked at her food, thought it tasted good, she couldn't convince herself to eat. David and Erin seemed to be enjoying it as they babbled about different events the theater had overcome.

Lizzie bit the inside of her cheek as she laid her fork on her plate and tried to find a point within the conversation where she could join in, but the opportunity never presented itself.

Finally, when her food was cold and her glass of milk had met the room temperature, Lizzie stood up and took her plate and drink into the kitchen. As she dumped her food into the trashcan she could still hear them, chatter chatter chatter, all about the theatre.

Lizzie tipped her glass forward, watching the liquid swirl into the drain. Her tongue ran along her teeth as Lizzie shook her head and began to fill the dishwasher. After that was done, she cleaned up a few more things left over from when she'd cooked dinner, then peered around the kitchen for something else to do. But, she realized with a sinking feeling. Everything was finished.

She finally took a deep breath and went back into the dining room.

David and Erin weren't there.

She heard their laughter from the living room and went to see. Erin was seated on a chair, while David almost across the room on the sofa.

Lizzie smiled and walked over, sitting next to her husband. Though he was in the middle of talking to Erin, he slipped his arms around her waist. When he'd finished talking, he gently pressed his lips to her cheek.

Lizzie heard a shuffle from the opposite side of the room. She leaned to the opposite side so David could stand up to walk Erin to the door.

"Thanks for having me over for dinner. It was delicious, Libby," Erin called over her shoulder as she left. "Bye, David."

As her husband came back over to her and stretched out his hand for hers, Lizzie smiled. It didn't matter that Erin had managed to get her name wrong, _again_. What did matter was that the most important man of her life was in front of her, and that now, she had every drop of attention.

Lizzie snapped from her dream like state as David gave her had a squeeze and let it fall from his grasp. He yawned and walked towards the bedroom. "Coming to bed, honey?"

Lizzie sat blankly in her seat and shook her head. Could he seriously be any more clueless?


End file.
